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Policy re: 'transgenders' trumps religious beliefs


Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 12/6/2011 4:35:00 AMBookmark and Share

Macy's is accused of firing an employee who objected to allowing a cross-dresser to use women's dressing rooms in one of its stores.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=1490664





Natalie Johnson observed a man exiting a women's dressing room in one of San Antonio's several Macy's stores and politely told him he could not re-enter because it was for the exclusive use of women. Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel tells OneNewsNow the male customer -- who was wearing make-up and girl's clothing -- angrily responded that he was a "female."

Macy's Fires Employee For Refusing To Let Transgender Customer Use The Women' Dressing Room

First Posted: 12/ 7/11 11:16 AM ET   Updated: 12/ 7/11 12:15 PM ET

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/07/macys-employee-fired-transgender_n_1133831.html

Macy's may have become synonymous with the holiday shopping season after its appearance in the Christmas classic "Miracle on 34th Street," but not all is merry and bright at a Texas branch of the popular retail chain, where an employee was fired after she refused to allow a transgender woman to use the ladies' fitting room.

As the Houston Chronicle is reporting, an altercation erupted when store employee Natalie Johnson stopped a customer, whom she apparently described as a man in makeup and women's clothing, from entering the ladies' fitting room at the Macy's outlet in the San Antonio Rivercenter.

After officials ordered her to allow transgender customers to change in any dressing room they wished, Johnson reportedly said she could not allow a man to change in a women's dressing room due to her religious beliefs before being terminated. A spokeswoman for the store declined to comment on the incident, stating only, "At Macy's we recognize and appreciate the diversity of our customers and associates."

Macy's employee fired after refusing to allow transgender shopper to use the women's fitting room

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2071437/Texas-Macys-worker-Natalie-Johnson-fired-refusing-allow-transgender-use-womens-fitting-room.html
12/8/11

During the holiday season, Macy's is regarded as a shopping Mecca, but in Texas, the retail giant is at the centre of a controversy.

A worker at a San Antonio store is now looking for a new job after she was fired for refusing to allow a transgendered person to use the women's fitting room.

Natalie Johnson admits she was watching the customer from the start, claiming she could tell he was a man shopping for women's clothes.

I work in hospital office with other women with no problems - we shop and socialise together and the days are the best workdays I've ever had.
a woman came from another part of the organisation and we all had what I thought was  a good meeting.
as we put our coats on I was half turned to her and out of my eye corner I saw her pull the 'tongue out as though vomitting' face at me for a split second to show what she really thought of me.
she was black too.
blacks have a serious problem with Tpeople.

WND Exclusive QUEERLY BELOVED

Campaign aims at Macy's open-door dressing room policy


'Any kind of sexual predator could put on lipstick, have access to women's fitting rooms'

Posted: December 09, 2011, 10:15 pm Eastern

By Bob Unruh
© 2011 WND

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=37604

A campaign has been launched by the non-profit legal advocacy group Liberty Counsel that encourages customers to contact Macy's officials to express concern over the company's open-door policy for dressing rooms.

"Right now, any kind of sexual predator could put on lipstick and have full access to any of the women's fitting rooms and the girls of all ages who may be present," the organization said in its announcement today.

The online petition allows customers to send a message directly to Macy's that explains, "As an American who recognizes the crucial importance of cultural boundaries and same gender guidelines to the welfare of any society, I am appalled by your corporate decision to allow LGBT people to use whatever changing facilities they choose in Macy's stores."

KHOU.com


Macy's worker fired for denying dressing room to transgender customer

by Mayra Moreno / KENS 5

khou.com

Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:53 AM | Retrieved from the Internet on December 12, 2011


http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/Macys-worker-fired-for-denying-dressing-room-to-transgender-customer-135257098.html


SAN ANTONIO -- A San Antonio college student says she was fired from her job for refusing to allow a transgender woman into the women's dressing room. Now she's speaking out, saying her religion conflicts with the store's transgender policy.

Liberty Counsel, a religious advocacy group, is representing 27-year-old Natalie Johnson after she was fired over the Nov. 30 confrontation. Johnson said she was never aware of Macy's transgender policy, but now that she is, she doesn't agree with it.

"Any man who is in the process of becoming a woman, well guess what? You are still a man," Johnson said.

Tammy Rainey, Mississippi GLBTQ Examiner
December 2, 2011

When news broke last week that a Macy's employee had been  fired in a dispute over the use of the women's dressing rooms by an apparent transgender person, the initial narrative was that Natalie Johnson was a committed Christian employee who found her beliefs in conflict with store policy. A week later, some observers are beginning to question whether what is happening is a re-run of a previously attempted publicity stunt.

http://www.examiner.com/glbtq-in-tupelo/was-san-antonio-macy-s-incident-a-publicity-stunt

The issue is the refusal of this former employee to accept company policy.

The issue of transgender or otherwise is irrelevant.

The woman defied the rules of her job so was sacked. If employers cannot expect their staff to abide by reasonable and clearly defined rules then what is the point?

Fanatics from all sides are the problem.

QuoteThe issue is the refusal of this employee to accept company policy.

agree

QuoteChristian employee who found her beliefs in conflict with store policy

But the HR cant refuse here as we cant discriminate on believes.
Would be nice if the customer sue here for discrimination.

Quote from: BlonT on December 14, 2011, 06:39:29 AM
Fanatics from all sides are the problem. agreeBut the HR cant refuse here as we cant discriminate on believes.
Would be nice if the customer sue here for discrimination.

Employers are absolutely able to discriminate on actions.  More generally, US constitutional rights defend you against governments, not employers, to an extent you'd find surprising.  Freedom of speech, for instance, doesn't apply much regarding employers.  Otherwise, for instance, you'd be able to take trade secrets to your next employer.

As an employee, one must be able to carry out the requirements (those which are legal) of the job as stated by the employer.  If the employer says you have to teach that the earth is over 6000 years old, the earth is round and rotates, and so on, then that's what you have to teach.  If you have a religious objection, that's your problem.  If you refuse to fill that job requirement, you can indeed be fired.  You can believe as you like, as long as you carry out the job actions.  Court case on this.

In a similar vein, as a private citizen in your private life, you can wear what religious jewelry you like.  But the courts have decided that employers (such as hospitals) who have a policy against dangly jewelry that could get in the way of doing your job may indeed require you to remove that jewelry at work.  Even if your religious belief says that you should be wearing the jewelry.

Quote from: BlonT on December 14, 2011, 06:39:29 AM
Fanatics from all sides are the problem. agreeBut the HR cant refuse here as we cant discriminate on believes.
Would be nice if the customer sue here for discrimination.

Her claim fails in this regard:

1. it would be virtually impossible to convince a court that proactively keeping the transperson out of the "wrong" dressing room was required by her religion.  there's no difference in that and arguing that a Pentecostal woman would be obliged to keep women out who wanted to try on pants, or that a Muslim door greeter would be obliged to bar entry to women not veiled. The Christian faith does not require the individual Christian to impose whatever rules of conduct they hold sacred on those who do not hold the same view personally.

2. if she knew that her views were in conflict with established store policy, she should have brought this to the attention of the store (her comments indicate she knew what the policy was) and ask to be assigned to a department where the conflict would not matter.

OneNewsNow.com


LGBT-friendly policy turning customers off


Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 12/14/2011 10:00:00 AM | Retrieved from the Internet on December 18, 2011 by SJ


http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=1496480





Another Macy's store is reportedly permitting men to use women's dressing rooms -- and in the process, says Mat Staver, the retailer is alienating a lot of its customer base.

The problem first surfaced when a Macy's employee in San Antonio, Texas, was fired after telling a cross-dresser he could not use the women's dressing room to try on apparel. The employee had pointed out to management the consequences of a policy that affirms the lesbian, "gay," bisexual, transgender (LGBT) lifestyle.